Watercolor has been my go-to medium for about a decade. I dabble in other mediums, but I mainly stick to watercolor. The aesthetic of watercolor is timeless. It can be a tremendous grab-and-go medium. It is easy to transport, not too messy, and the outcome is always beautiful.
But, it does have some downfalls. Many people feel as if it is hard to "control." It is a finicky medium. Watercolor is known for its softness, but sometimes we don't want the details of our watercolor artwork to be blurry. If you don't want your paint to blur, a layer can take a while to dry before adding another. Even then, it still can blur. Try giving the first layer some time to dry.
I have set aside some bigger pieces for a day to let them dry entirely before adding another layer. Watercolors are known for their translucence, but you can achieve opaqueness with layering. Layering can add depth and dimension to any medium, including watercolor. Yes, the quick "go-to" medium can be a nuisance. But I love nuisances. I love pushing boundaries—often my own.
{Yes, the quick "go-to" medium can be a nuisance. But I love nuisances. I love pushing boundaries- often my own. }
If you have ever seen the animated Disney film, Moana, you know she has a close relationship with her Grandma Tala. Grandma Tala sings a verse in the song Where You Are, "The water is mischievous, Ha! I like how it misbehaves." I am Grandma Tala. Grandma Tala is me. It's all about mindset. I love the properties of watercolor that some other artists may find frustrating. I have learned its secrets. I have been patient in the practice and have become confident in this mischievous medium. You can, too. It just takes a little time and patience.
It can be difficult to achieve depth with watercolor without making it "muddy." (When the pigments don't dry evenly, they blur together and turn into brownish hues.) It will drive some people mad, especially if you are used to acrylics where you can cover mistakes. It's hard to cover mistakes with watercolor. Their transparency makes everything visible to the eye. Therefore, many people steer clear of the medium.
{Transparency means the variation of which an object is transparent (see-through). Opacity is the same, but when an object is opaque that means it cannot be seen through.}
Gouache is a form of watercolor paint that contains substances like chalk, making it solid and opaque. If layers of watercolor seem daunting, use gouache on the areas you would like to be opaque. Many watercolorists use white gouache if they haven't "saved the whites" of the paper.
Watercolor is valuable for any artist's toolbox, from beginner to advanced. Carry it with you to any park visit, and you can quickly dabble down ideas in your art journal. Then, later, go back to your creative space and paint a larger canvas, referencing your notebook for inspiration. Quick dabbles in your art journal may give you new inspiration for a different choice of color palette, strokes, or overall composition.
When I first bought my supplies, I did what many professional artists would advise you not to do. I went out and bought nearly ALL the colors available. I purchased the best quality tubes at my local art store. I spent a small fortune getting as many colors as I wanted then. It was impulsive and not a wise financial decision.
So, here is my advice: try to buy the best (high-quality) paint, but limit yourself to the primary colors, along with white and black, and buy a book about color theory. You could even work in the 6-hue method; in which, a cool & warm tone of each primary is used in the limited palette to mix hues. Color theory comes into play. I will make a blog post & beginner tutorials on that. Here is a list of those for Winsor & Newton:
Winsor Lemon
Winsor Yellow
French Ultramarine
Winsor Blue (Green Shade)
Permanent Rose
Scarlet Lake
You can mix an endless amount of hues and tones with just those. A consistent palette can amplify your work into a recognizable style. Start small, but start high-quality. That's my golden advice if I had to choose one recommendation.
{Speaking of "golden". There is French Ultramarine and then there is Ultramarine. French Ultramarine is a little redder of a pigment compared to the Ultramarine. But, what is super interesting is that ultramarine's vivid blue pigment comes from the stone Lapis Lazuli- a stone that protects the wearer against depression. Ground up lapis lazuli can be more expensive than GOLD.}
My tube paints have lasted years, with how little you need at a time to paint with watercolor. I also bought an empty palette, squirted my tube paint into individual wells, and let them fully dry. It makes for an easy go-to and grab so you are not intimidated by the tubes' mess. You also use less at a time.
The choice of paper is also essential when painting with watercolor. You will want a sturdy paper that will hold the water and is resistant to buckling, as water can distort it.
That brings us to paper. You will see the labels "hot-pressed" and "cold-pressed." Hot-pressed has less tooth to the surface. I usually use this paper if I do a mixed-media piece. If you plan to add pencil marks after the paint dries, your pencil will glide much smoother over hot-pressed paper. Of course, you can use pencils on cold-pressed paper, but your lines will appear much more textured due to the "teeth" of the paper. Cold-pressed is excellent for a lot of layers. It holds much more water due to the teeth/ texture of the paper.
Paper also comes in loose stacks or blocks. The blocks have a seal around the edge, so you can only access one at a time. Why would we ever only want one piece of paper at a time? It is to prevent the buckling from the water I talked about earlier. There are several ways to avoid buckling or significantly reduce it, and that's the quickest. Buying a block instead of loose watercolor paper is less of a hassle. But it's usually more expensive.
If that's not in your budget, I can teach you an easy way to "stretch" your watercolor paper by soaking it and stapling it to a board. I tape over the staples to create a clean border for my painting and to protect my arms from scratches.
Lastly, brushes! When I first started painting, I bought a lot of colors and only a handful of brushes. Quality brushes can be expensive. But they last forever if you properly care for them. My first ones didn't because I didn't take care of them. BIG mistake. HUGE mistake. I left them in my water cup upside down, soaking for God knows how long. UGH. We learn from our mistakes, right? The wood swelled and the ends became distorted and water-logged. ALWAYS take your brushes out of the water and lay them flat to dry after you rinse them. You will save yourself from so much anguish over ruining your beautiful brushes.
So, what brushes should I get? I have quality synthetic ones. Please make sure they are absorbent. We want them to pick up and hold the water without getting too drippy. Watercolor brushes tend to be soft and flexible compared to other medium brushes. You want to be able to layer without scratching off previous work.
Lastly, about brushes (for now), buy a few different ends. They come in various shapes for different strokes. Round brushes are one of the best go-to for filling in color, and you can do line work with them. Flat brushes make blocks of color great for background washes and hard edges. Filbert brushes are flat brushes with a rounded edge. I like to use them for flower petals and scales on a mermaid's tails.
Those are the main three I use. But there are many more to play with when you are ready to explore: angled shaders, script brushes, and fan brushes. I treasure my fan brush because it was from my mom. I use it to achieve the delicate downy barb details on my feathers.
I hope some of my insight on supplies has encouraged you to explore watercolor as a serious medium. If you have questions, feel free to contact me!
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